Ball Don't Lie

Jan 22, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets point guard Patrick Beverley (2) reacts after a play during the third quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Toyota Center. (Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports)

After several seasons as a journeyman in the United States and abroad, point guard Patrick Beverley seems to have created an NBA career for himself as a member of the Houston Rockets. With relentless intensity, the 6-foot-1, 180-pound guard has earned a reputation as one of the league's most tenacious perimeter defenders and a player who expends his energy all over the court. Beverley started 54 of his 55 games for Houston last season and looks likely to play a similar role in 2014-15, so he's probably not going anywhere for a while (which to general manager Daryl Morey usually means a couple months).

While Beverley can apporach the season with a solid sense of his future for the first time in his career, he's not resting on his accomplishments. Like most NBA players, he's training hard this summer to prepare for the season. Beverley just happens to be doing it in a pretty intense-looking Bane-like breathing mask. From his Instagram:

Without video, we don't know if Beverley is also talking like a bad impression of an underwater Sean Connery, but I'm just going to assume it's the case.

Jokes aside, this mask and others like it are intended to simulate training at high altitudes, where athletes (and everyone, really) must work harder to carry out the basic actions of their chosen professions. It's unclear exactly what these masks accomplish other than increasing lung capacity, but those in professional sports will often seek any advantage they can get, however minimal it may be.

At the very least, the whole image is a pretty good ad for that "Mr. 94 Feet" shirt Beverley's wearing. It's this summer's version of Bane's shearling coat.